Interrupter



March 18, 1941.

C. B. MOORE INTERRUPTER Filed Sept. 24, 1933 FIG. I.

. INVENTOR.

COLEMAN MOORE Patented Mar. 18, 1941 v I v I V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INTEBRUPTER Coleman B. Moore, Carroll Park, Pa., assignor to The Brown Instrument Company, Philadelphia, Pa.,a corporation of Pennsylvania Application September 24, 1938, Serial No. 231,465 2 Claims. ((1 200-32) The present invention relates to interrupters projection that supports a' cam roller H. The and more particularly to an interrupter which is members l and it are joined to form a rigid used to periodically open and close a switch. assembly by rods Hi and |9 which extend re- It is an object of my invention to provide a despectively through arcuate openings 20 and 2| 5 vice which is adapted to periodically open and in the plate 8, the entire assembly being biased 5 close a switch for a predetermined percentage of in a counter-clockwise direction in Fig. 1, until a cycle of fixed time length. It is a further object rod l8 engages the lower end of opening 20', by a of my invention to provide an interrupter which spring 22 coiled around the shaft i3. Attached may be adjusted to provide for opening and closto the cross piece l5, below the shaft l3, and ing of a switch for various lengths of time as extending forwardly therefrom, are two brackets may be desired. 23 that are adapted to support a switch 24. This The various features of novelty which charswitch may be of any commercial form and of a acterize my invention are pointed out with parcapacity suitable for the application for which ticularity in the claims annexed to and forming the interrupter is being used. a part of this specification. For a better under- Attached to the front ends of shaft I3 is a 15 standing of the invention, however, its advanlever member 25 that has mounted on it for rotatages and specific objects obtained with the use, tion a gear 26, in mesh with gear l2, and a reference should be had to the accompanying generally heart shaped cam 21. The lower edge drawing and descriptive matter in which I have of this lever is arcuate in shape with the shaft ad illustrated and described a preferred embodiment |3 as a center and is formed as a gear sector 28 of the invention with its teeth in mesh with a gear 29 on a shaft In the drawing: 30. This latter shaft is journaled in the plate 8 Fig, 1 is a front view of an interrupter with its and extends forwardly through the cover 3. Recover removed, and movably fastened to the shaft l3 in front of the 5 Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2--2 ofFig. 1. cover 3 is a combined pointer and handle 3| that The apparatus of my invention is mounted in a cooperateswith a scale 32 on the front of the casing consisting of a base member I provided cover, with upstanding side walls 2 that receive a cover The cam 21 is rotated through gears H, l2 and member 3. The outer edges of the cover member 26 from the motor In and is adapted, in its rotatelescope over the side walls 2 and may be attion to engage the roller H on cross piece It to 80 tached thereto in any suitable manner. The cover tilt the switch 24. By rotating the handle 3| the is, however, movable to provide access to the lever member 25 may be moved to bring the cam apparatus contained within. Attached to and nearer to or further from the roller H and there- 4 projecting forwardly from the base member i are by cause the cam to be in engagement with the 35 four studs 4 upon two of which in the upper left roller for longer or shorter time during each 35 corner of the casing is mounted a plate 5 which revolution thereof. serves as a terminal block for the terminals 6. In the operation of the device the spring 22 The plate 5 is supported on the studs by means biasesthe switch 24 into either its open or closed of screws '1 extending through the plate and position, preferably the latter, and the rest of 40 threaded into the studs. this description will be based on that assumption. 40

In a similar manner a plate 8 is supported from The cam 21 is rotated at a constant speed by the the other two studs by screws 9 extending through motor In and during each rotation engages the openings in the plate and being threaded into the roller l1 to tilt the switch 24 into a clockwise studs. This plate supports the interrupter direction to its open position. The nearer the mechanism which is' now to be described. cam is to roller I! the longer the switch 24 will 45 Mounted on the base plate I is constant speed be held open for each revolution of the cam. This electric motor III which hasattached to its shaft time that the switch is open or closed may also in front of the plate 8 a gear ii that meshes with be determined in percentages of a revolution of another gear |2 journaled for rotation around a the cam if desired. By rotating handle 3| in a so shaft l3. The shaft I3 is in turn mounted for clockwise direction the cam will be moved to the oscillating movement in the plate 8 and a journal right and it will be in engagement with the roller 14 projection from the base. Also pivotally to hold the switch open a shorter length of time. mounted on the shaft I3 is a cross piece l5, behind The gear sector 28 is long enough so that the plate 8; and a crosspiece IS, in front of plate I, cam may be moved from a position at the left in the latter of which has a downwardly extending which it will hold the switch open for its full 55 revolution to a position at the right in which it will not engage roller l1, and will, therefore, permit the switch to stay closed while the cam idly revolves. Stops 33 and 34 are provided projecting from plate 8 to limit the movement 01' the lever member in either direction. The scale 32 is provided with marks on it that are adapted to cooperate with the pointed end of handle 3| to indicate the position of the cam. The marks on the scale may either be in terms of time or in terms of percentage of a revolution of the cam 25 that the switch is open or closed.

There is diagrammatically shown in Fig. 1, one use of the interrupter. In that figure there is shown an electric furnace 35 that has a heating coil 36 which is connected at one end to one side of the .line and at the other end by means of conductors 37 and 38 to switch 24 and from there by conductors es and $0 to the other side of the line. In operation, as the switch 24 of the interrupter is opened and closed the current flow through the heating coil 36 is maintained at an average value dependent upon the time the switch is closed and, therefore, the temperature of the furnace is kept at a corresponding value. By turning handle 3i the cam 21 may be adjusted to let the switch remain closed a longer or a shorter time and thereby raise or lower the temperature of the furnace. In a similar manner, by providing a switch of the proper size the interrupter of my invention may be used in any application where it is desired to periodically .open and close a circuit.

As will be obvious from the above detailed description I have invented an interrupter of prac tical form that is easy to assemble and adjust, and one that will not easily get out of order.

While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes, I have illustrated and described the best form of my invention now known to me, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the form of the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims, and that certain features of my invention may sometimes be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A timer comprising in combination with a switch, a tiltable the path of movement of said projection.

2. In a periodically operated switch, a rockable support therefor, means to bias said support in one direction and means to limit the movement of said support in said direction, a pivoted member, a constantly rotating cam mounted on said member'and adapted to engage said support during a variable portion of its rotation to tilt said switch against the force 01' said biasing means, drive means for said cam and means to move said lever while said cam is being rotated by said drive means to move said cam member, toward and away from said support, whereby the support will be engaged thereby for a longer or shorter time during each rotation of the cam.

3. In an adjustable interrupter, a switch, a rockable support therefor, said support having a projection extending therefrom, a pivoted lever, a cam rotatable on said lever and adapted to engage said projection during its rotation, means to rotate said cam whereby said switch and support will be tilted as the .cam engages the projection, means to move said lever around its pivot to vary the relation between said cam and projection and a scale cooperating with said moving means.

4. In an interrupter the combination with a rockable support, a mercury switch mounted gage said projection.

lever around said pivot to shift said cam with respect to said member whereby said cam will engage said member a longer or shorter time during each revolution.

7. In an interrupter, a switch, a lever pivoted about cam.

COLEMAN B. MOORE. 

